ElizabethGPAPS

Your "to go" emergency kit should also have a muzzle in it. Injured dogs don't always make the most cooperative patients!

When Isabella has gone on her "eating strikes" I find that force-feeding her a little helps to stimulate her appetite - it's like her stomach gets a little food in it and suddenly remembers that it's hungry. I usually poked a couple of turkey dogs down her, half at a time, because they're smooth and cylindrical and it's pretty easy. Refrigerated canned dog food (the loaf kind - it has to be firm) squeezed into tube-shapes is also good. Just remember that the esophagus is on the dog's left, or your right as you're facing her.

Hello from the left coast of America! Welcome to GT.

Oooh, I like the looks of that Ezybone chewable wormer. So much more convenient than the liquid stuff, and kills tapeworms as well.

We de-worm all the new dogs that come in. I buy the "Panacur" (liquid fenbendazole 10% labeled as "Safe-Guard" for use with cattle and goats) at the local feed store and dose the dogs 3 days in a row at 2.5 mL, then wait 2 weeks and repeat. Unfortunately for the individual dog owner, the size of the container is 33.8 fluid ounces or enough for about 120 head of cattle, and costs $128. They don't offer anything smaller. It doesn't expire for a couple of years, though - I keep it in my fridge. Metronidazole can also be purchased over-the-counter, but labeled only for aquarium usage.

I've heard of giving food coloring in one dog's food or water to stain their pee a distinctive color...might not be what you want on your carpet, though.

They do look like little hematomas...and not to alarm you needlessly, but I've read that hemangiosarcoma can cause "blood blisters". Your Vet has seen them and isn't worried? Are they on the skin, or under the skin?

I've not heard of those booties before...but just wondering - if it's just the one toe that's causing most of his misery and nothing else has worked, have you ever considered amputation of the toe?

I am currently struggling with this with Isabella, and have been for quite some time. Every couple of weeks I make the decision to call the Vet - but then I talk myself out of it. She doesn't have a disease that I can point at and say "This will kill her. This has her suffering and pain-ridden". She's just old and falling apart by degrees. What I struggle with most is that Isabella hasn't given me any indication that SHE'S ready to go. People keep saying "You'll know - they'll tell you". What I know is that my 15 year old, incontinent, shuffling old bag of bones is fiercely hanging onto life for some reason. Her mind is sharp, her organs are all working okay and she still regards me with a calculating eye. How can I take life away from her? How can I just have her killed? Who would I be doing it for, exactly? So yes, I know what you're talking about. I just don't know the guilt because I haven't yet had to courage to take it on. Just as I don't know if euthanizing her would be for my benefit or hers, I also don't know if NOT euthanizing her is for my benefit or hers.

Well poo, Xan. You know, I've been meaning to do some shopping at Xan's Art - looks like now might be a good time!

Something that sudden makes me think FCE (spinal stroke). You might do a search on it, here or on google.

I know Pred can make dogs very thirsty thereby needing to go out to pee a lot, but I've never heard of just a constant drip of urine. That's not normal - I'd at least talk to your Vet.

Has your Vet ruled out FCE for some reason? It sounds a lot like that, and there's not a whole lot to do but wait for it to work it's way through. Most dogs make a full or near-full recovery fairly quickly. Just search for threads on FCE (aka Fibrocartilagenous Embolism, aka spinal stroke) on Greytalk and Google - there's ton of info and experiences.

I'd take him to the e-vet, and I don't say that very often. Those are nasty.

Hello from Washington State! I visited Edinburgh several years ago and remember it fondly. And yes, I ate haggis - it wasn't bad.

I made a large ice pack (1-gallon ziplock bag) and applied it on the back centered where that little divot is just south of the shoulder blades. With the larger bag I figured if I wasn't hitting the exact spot I would at least spill over to the right one

I don't know if I ever thanked you for posting the ice pack information - I used it with my epileptic foster dog three times and passed the information along to his adopters when they took him. His seizures were always short (under 2 minutes) and with little to no post-seizure recovery time, and I think the ice pack really helped with that. So thank you.

I created a page with the rating system and the rated foods separated by grade if anyone wants to print it for their adoption packets. http://www.psgreyhounds.org/DogFoodGrades.htm

When I viewed my house before buying it, it was clean. 45 days later when I got the keys I went in the night before moving day and was horrified at how dirty it was - I don't think the sellers (married couple, 3 kids, 2 dogs) cleaned at all between the sale agreement and the closing. I was so embarrassed to have friends and family coming over the next day that I stayed all night scrubbing floors, walls, everything. Nothing like wiping a stranger's pubes out of the bathtub... It was not even comparable to the condition your place is in, though. I hope the cleaners and painters completely transform it for you. As for scummy neighbors...just figure that you're bringing up the class of the neighborhood with your very presence. Nice houses attract nice neighbors

On the opposite side of the coin, both of my pups were 2 when I adopted them. They are now 12 and 13 and seem to still be free of aches and pains. Savannah (13) even ran a full out double-suspension gallop across a 4-acre field at playgroup a couple of months ago - I had to cover my eyes! I do give them joint supplements, which I'm sure helps.

Prayers for Mazie!

Isabella has an uncanny ablity to take whatever pill-delivery item I've given her, maw on it for a while and then spit the pill out. The other dogs will usually fall for the old "Give two treats to gain their trust, then slip 'em the mickey on the third one" technique. So I have to pry open her clenched teeth poke it down manually. Luckily she doesn't have to take pills on a regular basis.

Raccoons can carry rabies and canine distemper, but if your girl is up to date on her shots you should be okay. Still call the Vet on Monday in case she needs a booster as mentioned above. There's also a disease called Coonhound Paralysis that's pretty scary and you should talk to your Vet about it. From some website I found when googling raccoon bites. I'm not trying to alarm you but if some of these symptoms show up at least you'll know what it might be: Coonhound paralysis: Coonhound paralysis is an auto-immune sickness triggered by the dog's body reacting violently to a protein found in raccoon saliva. Symptoms will show up a few days after you return from the field. The most common reaction is for the dog to get weak in the hind legs and gradually become more paralyzed. The dog may also lose control of its bladder and experience some difficulty breathing. If it's coonhound paralysis, there's not much the vet can do, as antibiotics do not work since there is no pathogen associated with the disease -- it is simply an immune system response to raccoon saliva. Keep your dog bedded down inside with plenty of water, food and rest, and it will probably get better within the month.

Hmm...the only other thing I can think of is edema. Isabella often wakes up with what I can "fatty feet" these days from lying still all night - her front feet get fluid build-up in them which dissapates once she starts moving around (Vet says "Meh. She's ancient" and shrugs). But Happy's only just turned 9 so that seems kind of unlikely. I think you're doing the right think with washing, soaking, waiting and watching. It's probably not something broken or life-threatening.

Hello from Everett! Always nice to see more Washingtonians on board.